Sunshine And Storm Clouds
by Rinny Angel
Summary: Small frustrations and disappointments are blown out of our minds when tragedy hits us. Selphie's 18th birthday is coming up and no one will be around to be with her, but she finds that such concerns seem trivial and meaningless when true disaster strikes


Sunshine And Storm Clouds 

DISCLAIMER~ I'm not rich, and I don't own a video game company, therefore I don't own FF8 or it's characters…yet…. J

AUTHOR'S NOTE~ Okies, I forgot to add part of the story into this before I posted it and just realized it when I went to read it over. Then I was having serious issues with the computer and it deleted the story so I had to reload it. Anywho, here's the complete version ~hope you guys enjoy! (Please review too! J) 

Sunshine And Storm Clouds

The satin white of captured dreams

Float swift against the sky

Pure and sweet as they all seem

As summer days fly by

Promise made on a gentle breeze That he will leave you, never 

Life isn't lived with such an ease,

Soft clouds don't last forever.__

After two weeks of worrying she finally decided to accept it. She would be all alone for her 18th birthday. It wasn't that her friends didn't care enough about her; it was just that everyone was gone. She had joked with Rinoa and Quistis about all the crazy things they had planned to do at her party, but they were away on a SeeD candidate-training mission and became trapped in Centra while a hurricane passed through. All of her friends from the Garden Festival Committee and other clubs she had joined were in Trabia volunteering to help rebuild her old Garden. The only reason she wasn't there with them was because she had returned home two weeks ago to spend time with Irvine. But she wasn't even granted his company for long. Squall and Zell had been out on a top-secret mission and called Garden requesting Irvine's snipping ability.

_"Don't worry, Butterfly, I'll be back with the boys in no time!"_

He had kissed her good-bye and run to catch his transport. The Garden felt so large and empty without her friends there. Selphie spent most of her days lying on the grass in the quad. The sky made for a good companion. She would lose all her worries and frustrations in the vast blue expanse, and comfort herself in the warmth of the sun.

"I guess it doesn't really matter that they won't be here for my birthday." She told herself "It's just another day, after all." Though Selphie knew she was speaking logically, she still felt as though she was lying to herself.

The sun was setting, and for the 10th time that month she headed back to her dorm alone. The warm sheets of her bed welcomed her, and her pillow seemed to beckon her weary head.

"You better come back safe, Cowboy!" She chided after Irvine as he strode off slowly. He spun around and flashed her a smile before running back. He enveloped her in his arms and spun her around in the air.

_"'Course, Sunshine!" He drawled "And don't worry, I'll be able to keep an eye on you while I'm away." He finished with a wink._

_"Oh and how is that?" She questioned dreamily._

_"Well, to be a sniper one must have very sharp eyes. I could see that smile from half way around the world!" Suddenly he shifted position and pointed to the sky "Make ya a deal. Whenever I'm away and you want to make sure I'm with you, you just smile up at one of them clouds and I'll be up there, able to see ya. When I'm out on some mission I'll always be doing my duty of watching my butterfly, ok?" He looked down into her sparkling eyes with such sincerity she could have melted._

_"Kinneas! We're leaving!" A distant voice called her love away from her. _

_"Don't worry, Butterfly, I'll be back with the boys in no time." A kiss and a few steps later he was gone. _

_The transport fled quickly out of sight, but as it did the scenery around her began to shift and change drastically. The crystal blue sky transformed into a deep scarlet blanket and the white marshmallow clouds turned black and threatening. A dense fog rolled in around her, the whole atmosphere appeared as though she was trapped inside of a room filled with blinding smoke. Selphie squinted against the stinging darkness, swatting the air around her in an attempt to escape it. She ran aimlessly for only a few steps before the fog began to lift. But when it did she found herself somewhere completely different. There was…nothing…a scorching desert for miles all around her. The sky was blacked out from sight by threatening clouds, and the wind whipped around her, burning her face. _

A sudden flash of light revealed right in front of her, her worst nightmare.

"**NO!**" Selphie shot up in bed, covered in an ice cold sweat. Tears mingled with the sweat as they flowed down her pale cheeks. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her fists clutched the sheets so tightly her knuckles turned white. Selphie began to gasp for air, her mind had forgotten to breath. Her entire body felt empty, numb. There was a void in her chest, and her stomach hurt with something other than pain. Her lungs refused to be satisfied with oxygen, and she squeezed her eyes closed tightly to attempt to ease the throbbing in her head and the ringing in her ears as the blood rushed. 

Time Passed too slowly. When her breathing returned to her, Selphie glanced over at her clock. 3:03 AM. Her bed no longer looked comfortable and she feared what she would see if her head were to rest upon the pillow. As her eyes scanned over the room, scenes from her dream fluttered across her eyes. The events of the day she said good-bye to Irvine, the shifting to the ominous desert, the flash of light… but not the image revealed by it. Whatever that light had shown her in her dream she did not wish to remember. Her mind screamed out to tell her but she refused to listen, afraid of what she might hear. 

Without warning, Selphie was once again overcome with the feeling of emptiness. It was a sickening sensation, over which she'd no control. She crawled out of her bed over to the corner of her small room and began to rock herself back and forth slowly, as she had done when she was just a little girl. She stared at the clock across from her, mesmerized by the dim red glow. Seconds passed like hours. Her eyelids defied her and became heavier than she could fight. Selphie tumbled into a restless sleep.

At 5:30 Selphie found herself suddenly wide-awake in a small ball on the floor. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard mumbling from outside her door. Nervous voices conversed but she couldn't make out the words. Seconds later two letters were slid under her door. The first thing she noticed was one of the letters was an official SeeD telegram. Selphie refused to breath as shaky fingers picked the paper in front of her. After breaking the seal, she forced her eyes to read what was in front of her.

**'SeeD Level A, Captain Selphie Tilmitt,**

By the request of SeeD Level A, Captain Irvine Kinneas, you are the first to be notified. We regret to inform you that at 0300 hours, this of date, July 16, Sniper Irvine Kinneas was killed in action. He was killed by an enemy sniper who got off two shots. Kinneas was out of ammo after eliminating his last target. He died in honor as a prized member of SeeD. We understand that our words will be of little consolation, but we are sorry for your loss.'

The words stung threw to her soul and her heart was caught in her throat. Selphie clutched the telegram tightly to her chest with one hand; the other supported her from crumbling to the ground. All she could see in front of her eyes were black storm clouds with fire dancing mockingly within them. Slightly above the ringing in her head she could hear the sound of thunder rumbling outside her window. Minutes passed like an eternity. The telegram fell from her hand, and landed harmlessly on the floor. She let her eyes trail down to it and noticed the second letter that had come with it. Fate was not through torturing her yet. The front was addressed to her in familiar handwriting. As she tore open the envelope a small ring fell out. Selphie made no motion to retrieve it. The card she pulled out would normally have brought a smile to her face, but today it clawed at her soul. A hand drawn butterfly was sketched on the front. Dirty fingerprints were smudged along the edges. She breathed in deeply the scent of gunpowder mingling with old leather.

**'Hey Sefie!**

**Happy 18th Birthday! Bet ya figured I'd forget, right? I wish I could be there with you right now to give you kiss, but it looks like I won't be able to make it back just yet. I won't let the stop me from doing what I've been waiting to do ever since I first saw you, Sunshine. …'**

Her eyes studied the next five words and her heart stopped. She never noticed the unending stream of tears rushing toward the carpet. She opened her mouth and, without conscious effort, a scream of utter agony was emitted. Selphie fell to the floor amongst the pieces of her splintered life. Her bright emerald eyes were clouded and her face was paled. The last five words of the letter were the crushing blow to her battered soul.

**'…Selphie, will you marry me?'**

** **

Purest clouds can turn to black

As the brightest face turns dim

Too many pains for her to track

When thinking turns to him

When lightening tears across the sky 

It brings to light what time has told.

That all is well when white clouds fly;

Dark skies can mock the tortured soul.

~Poem by Rinny Angel~


End file.
